Archives for September 2010

“viewpoints, instincts, and tastes that have been formed in us through the experiential, cultural, and relational influences that we have lived in and which have formed the way we see the world and respond to it”

“personal sin and weakness” and “our growth in grace”

Paul Tripp lists those “tools of difference” with reference to marriage, but they apply more broadly to any relationship (What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage , p. 215).

I recently listened to four fascinating audiobooks by MalcolmGladwell, and it was time well spent. Gladwell writes well and offers accessible yet penetrating insights about human nature and the world we live in.

The New Testament graphically and horrifically describes hell. And that raises a thorny question: How should we interpret those dreadful images? May we simply label them “metaphors” to soften their bite?

Outline:

How does the New Testament describe hell? [five ways]

How do people interpret the New Testament’s horrific descriptions of hell? [three ways]

How should we interpret the New Testament’s horrific descriptions of hell? [two of the three ways are plausible]

Conclusion:

We may disagree about some finer nuances of our literal and metaphorical interpretations of hell’s darkness, fire, and suffering, but we should agree that, at the very least, the New Testament teaches that hell is eternally miserable, terrifying, and painful. It’s certainly no better than being cast into literal “outer darkness” or being tormented with literal “fire and sulfur.”